New half-mile track for Columbus, Ohio???
 

A friend sent me this link to a Columbus television station report. Personally, I wonder if this will get anywhere because Cooper Stadium sits in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/loc...p.html?sid=102

Developer Could Turn Cooper Stadium Into Racetrack
Thursday, May 1, 2008 1:46 AM

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The crack of the bat at Cooper Stadium may soon be replaced by the roar of automobile engines.

Franklin County officials announced plans on Thursday to sell the west side ballpark to a developer for conversion into a half-mile motorsports facility, 10TV's Andy Hirsch



More info is on the station's website, including an artist's conception.

Jim Morrison

Re: New half-mile track for Columbus, Ohio???
 

I saw this on the news yesterday and had some questions

1- They are going to use public funds and give tax breaks to the devolpers. This project would put Columbus Speedway, Circleville Cart Track and National Trails Dragstrip out of buisness. How would you feel if the goverment was using your money to put you out of buisness?

2- If you look at the artist drawing there is no place for pits and hardly anyplace for parking. In this neighborhood I would not want to leave my car on a random street corner then come back at 1 am and try and find it

3- The access point from the freeway is in one of the worst traffic areas of the city. If they had a big race traffic would shut down the city along with I-71 and I-70 to major cross country routes

4- Why would NASCAR give then a major race when With in 3 hours there is Brickyard, ORP, Kentucky, Michigan and Mansfield

5- The backers behind this is a group of real estate devolpers and not racers. We have a unique market and I do not see how someone not famerilar with industry would make a good promoter

6- NASCAR has said it will not sanction the weekly series at the track and would continue its long term relationship with Columbus Motor Speedway......What would they run?

Re: New half-mile track for Columbus, Ohio???
 

Originally Posted by smbpreformance:
I saw this on the news yesterday and had some questions

1- They are going to use public funds and give tax breaks to the devolpers. This project would put Columbus Speedway, Circleville Cart Track and National Trails Dragstrip out of buisness. How would you feel if the goverment was using your money to put you out of buisness?

2- If you look at the artist drawing there is no place for pits and hardly anyplace for parking. In this neighborhood I would not want to leave my car on a random street corner then come back at 1 am and try and find it

3- The access point from the freeway is in one of the worst traffic areas of the city. If they had a big race traffic would shut down the city along with I-71 and I-70 to major cross country routes

4- Why would NASCAR give then a major race when With in 3 hours there is Brickyard, ORP, Kentucky, Michigan and Mansfield

5- The backers behind this is a group of real estate devolpers and not racers. We have a unique market and I do not see how someone not famerilar with industry would make a good promoter

6- NASCAR has said it will not sanction the weekly series at the track and would continue its long term relationship with Columbus Motor Speedway......What would they run?

Is this new proposed facility paved or dirt? If it is dirt, I don't think it would hurt business at CMS or the other speedways in the area and would explain why Nascar would not be interested in it. BTW, CMS needs to run Open Wheel again. I'll be back when it does.

Re: New half-mile track for Columbus, Ohio???
 

Originally Posted by Seadog:
Is this new proposed facility paved or dirt? If it is dirt, I don't think it would hurt business at CMS or the other speedways in the area and would explain why Nascar would not be interested in it. BTW, CMS needs to run Open Wheel again. I'll be back when it does.

It will be Pavement and that are saying they want to make it a "Mini Bristol" including a drag strip and a cart track

Columbus is running a handfull of Buckeye Super Sprint shows this year. Over 24 cars were commited to the season opener at CMS with half of them there before the pits opened and the rains came forcing the cancelation of the race.

Re: New half-mile track for Columbus, Ohio???
 

Originally Posted by smbpreformance:
It will be Pavement and that are saying they want to make it a "Mini Bristol" including a drag strip and a cart track

Columbus is running a handfull of Buckeye Super Sprint shows this year. Over 24 cars were commited to the season opener at CMS with half of them there before the pits opened and the rains came forcing the cancelation of the race.

Sean, Are these Buckeye Super Sprint shows winged 305 cars or...?

Re: New half-mile track for Columbus, Ohio???
 

Yeah the Buckeye Super Sprints started out as the weekly 305 winged sprint show at Sandusky Speedway and in 2006 the BSS also sanctioned a race at Toledo, in 2007 the BSS added another track by sanctioning races at Lorain County. With the WSoA (the prevous 305 traveling series in Ohio) folding during the off season the tracks looked towards the BSS to fill their dates. Kevin Jaycox owner of Sandusky Speedway and President of MSA decided it was time for the BSS to stand on its own seperate from the weekly series at Sandusky. When the 2008 BSS schedule was relesed it included prevous BSS dates like Toledo, Lorain and the Hi-Miler at Sandusky along with vacated WSoA races at Columbus and Kil-Kare. Adding to these five tracks are Flat Rock and the chance to be part of the Classic at Oswego. The Oswego 305 sprint race pays $500 to start and remainder of the races pay $250 to start.

For more information see:
www.buckeyesupersprints.com

Re: New half-mile track for Columbus, Ohio???
 

This is where they should have put a half mile paved oval in Ohio.http://search.winamp.com/search/imag...wn%2520stadium

Re: New half-mile track for Columbus, Ohio???
 

Here's a link to the story in the Columbus Dispatch

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content...J.html?sid=101

Jim Morrison

Re: New half-mile track for Columbus, Ohio???
 

I drove by there today and did some measurments with my car odometer...... I think there is a problem unless they buy the rental place next door. I do not think it is big enough to build everything where they want to put everything according to the artist rendition

Re: New half-mile track for Columbus, Ohio???
 

Unless they buy more land

Re: New half-mile track for Columbus, Ohio???
 

Originally Posted by bigmojo5:
Unless they buy more land

Exactly Sunbelt Rentals is right next door and they are sitting on a huge plot of land and right next to that is a car dealership that closed down some time ago so there is a sizable chunk avalible

With out more land I do not see how they would be able to do every thing they want to do

Re: New half-mile track for Columbus, Ohio???
 

And, maybe they already own rights to it
They are experienced in real estate. Not so certain about their experience in auto racing. Intriqued by the idea of using a portion of the existing grandstands to maintain its heritage.
Also, keep in mind that Columbus the hometown of Nationwide, now the sponsor of the former Busch series.
Jim Morrison

Re: New half-mile track for Columbus, Ohio???
 

This seems to be another gimmick to get the land out of the County's hands and to the private sector (which the voting public did not want)so they look good as no one at the press release meeting knew a thing about racing except for Jeff Nuckles.

They only have a drawing and a contract with 50000.00 down that is refundable if the sale falls thru, and when the private sector says that there is to much opposition to the race track they then could build warehouse's, offices, apartments ect,also the buyer stated that the county would have to give 100% tax abatement for 10 years, & that's public funds no matter how you look at it! The commisioners say there will not be any tax abatements of public funds used. Next is the matter that no Sports caster in this town want to give any time to any other sport except Ohio State Football, or Golf and Hockey



For the record

1.Sunbelt doe's not own the land next door or the car lot both are owned buy the Gary Gabrial family former owner of Sam's equipment rental.

2. There is a current Columbus city code preventing the noise that a drag car would produce form racing there even though it is county land as the city land across from it would be affected.

3. At one time there was a county code preventing any new race track from being built in the county only Columbus Motor Speedway,and the two horse tracks could exist or be rebuilt if need so.

4. 6 years ago when the first talks of a new ball park in downtown Columbus came about the same group already had plans to buy it for office development and the was some negative statements and that the the county could find a better use for it.


Very much in the Know!

Re: New half-mile track for Columbus, Ohio???
 

Thanks.
You echo many of my concerns. Plus, the story in the Dispatch also indicates NASCAR is commited to CMS. Seems like all of these proposals for new tracks hang their hats on NASCAR.
Jim